The thief, the owner, the teen and the jail house

The thief, the owner, the teen and the jail house

Peter Hardwick
Journalist
Peter started in 1976 as apprentice typesetter/comp and has 32 years with The Chronicle in three stints (in between working/holidays in UK/Europe, Brisbane and Melbourne). Entered editorial from comp room in 1996.

THE theft of a car late Thursday night set off a bizarre series of events that landed two men and a juvenile girl in the Toowoomba watch house.

The drama started when Townsville man William Bonny Roland, who was wanted by police on warrants, had struck up a friendship with the 16-year-old girl.

Police believe a plan was hatched to steal the car of Anthony Laurence Oliver, 32, from outside his Ruthven St, Harlaxton, home and drive to Adelaide.

Police believe the car was found to have had a flat tyre and while Roland was left to fix it, the girl, who was on Children's Court bail, went to retrieve more of her property.

Woken by the sound of his vehicle's engine, Oliver saw his car being driven away, prompting him to dial 000.

Police arrived just as Roland arrived back in the car, presumably to pick up the girl.

Seeing police, he fled, jumping over a fence, aggravating a broken leg from which he had only just removed a plaster cast.

A police dog squad arrived and tracked Roland to a neighbour's back yard.

The dog squad emerged with two suspects in tow - Roland, who stood accused of stealing the car, and the car's owner, Oliver, who had also done a runner after calling police, realising he, too, was wanted on an arrest warrant.

The pair had been found hiding in the same yard, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.

Roland was taken to hospital with leg and ankle injuries while Oliver appeared in court to plead guilty to trespassing and failing to properly dispose of a needle and syringe found at his home by police called to the incident.

Oliver also pleaded guilty to failing to appear in court on August 31 to answer charges of driving a car without number plates, driving a car unregistered since 2004 and possessing stolen number plates found inside the car and failing to properly dispose of a needle and syringe on July 4.

He was fined a total $1800 and allowed to go home.

Roland was remanded in custody and the girl sent home on a good behaviour bond.